Saint Fan CaM

Yes, what’s gone before is over and if Lallana was the right guy then so be it. But he’s not, at least in a playing sense. My view is that brining him in as a 1st team player will be divisive and indicative of trying to get things done on the cheap. A coaching role fair enough, although I’m not sure what credentials he has to earn his crust.

I wouldn’t be upset if he came back to us, but a loan to buy seems the best option. Trouble is, if there was any chance we were interested then the journo’s would be all over it - but they’re not, so there’s little to no chance he’ll turn up here.

It seems Lallana has been forging a decent name for himself around the England U-21’s and beyond, so I can believe there is an attraction to bring in that expertise and experience into the club, particularly with someone who has past links. If the rumours are true it seems clear he’s not burnt bridges with the club, so any talk of bad blood etc. probably stem from Les Reed and others, who did a pretty appalling job dismantling a superb few seasons of building a great base. On balance, I think Adam L should be welcomed but not as a 1st team player.

Where would he go on loan and for what purpose? He’ll not go to a Prem team to prove his ability and going to a Championship side will risk further injury for no gain to us. Think the best bet is to give an opportunity to recover and be ready for pre-season games to prove both his fitness and ability. Of course many players in the squad will not have experienced life as a Prem player, but then as a professional it’s going to be a major ambition to prove yourself at the highest level.

Agree with this analysis - it’s very difficult to argue that Mara has anything like what a decent striker needs to operate at Championship level let alone at Prem level when his contribution will be wiped out by much better defenders.

What I find encouraging is that there are a good number of clubs other than the newly promoted clubs in the list. I’m surprised to not see Bournemouth in the list too - Brighton are too well funded/run now to be in danger of a bottom three place, but who knows what the new season will bring? WRT Saints placing, this will be largely determined by the success of our summer transfer business - break the squad up too much and lose the feel-good factor - sign too few or low quality players and RM’s system will be quickly found out at Prem level leading to a similar result to the 22/23 relegation season.

I’ve always understood “affordable housing” to mean publicly owned rented housing…what in my time was once called ‘council houses’. This made them ‘affordable’. They’re typically not so readily available to younger families nowadays thanks to the Tories introducing “Right to Buy” so they either fall into tenant private ownership or property developers buy up the houses and then rent them out themselves at higher rates.

Have to say those prices are not too bad - I half expected the club to take advantage of promotion to bring in extra funds from next season ST sales. And the new zones make sense too.

True (not me), but the profanities are somewhat more subdued. 🤣

Haven’t Everton got financial issues and possible further point deductions?

My Yorkshire mate bought a 75” OLED TV to watch the Prem games on Sky next season. Fucking fuming he is - it came with no Leeds.

Wade G gets my vote…the only member to post stuff that makes me laugh out loud.

Not convinced in the slightest about Lallana unless it’s purely in a coaching role and even then it sticks in my throat a bit.

Agree with this - he’s not a natural CDM and has an uncanny knack of arriving in the box at the right time. Also think he’s balked out a bit giving him more upper body strength. Whether he’s good enough for the Prem time will tell (like some other players), but he deserves a shot at it.

Yeah I mentioned that in the car on the way home - it suddenly dawned on me that VAR was not used once. But why? New rules?

Nature of the game, especially when the favourite loses…go into criticise mode rather than full on praise for the winner. Although to be fair there was some praise for Saints defence - that in itself is worth mentioning, because it’s a feature of our team that’s had significant levels of criticism in the past.

I’m sure there will be another thread for this, but my immediate thoughts on Prem level replacements are… 1. New keeper 2. New LB 3. New ACM 4. New winger 5. New striker Outs: Stu Armstrong, Che, McCarthy, Baz (won’t happen), Mara, Sulemana. Keep: Harwood-Bellis, Wee man, Downes

Fantastic day. Nervy but so enjoyable! Russ certainly knows how to beat Farke. I’ve just bought a 75” TV to watch the Premier league games next season. Funny…there was no Leeds included! 🤣

Think the point is that it’s not what City / Saints do, it’s how the oppo team sets up and plays to nullify the system. Utd did it it really well…kept their shape and dominated midfield. City couldn’t find a way to pass the ball quickly enough through the lines. If Leeds do a similar thing we’ll lose.

I’m watching the FA Cup, purely from the point of view that City’s style is so similar to ours but with top players. However, it’s worrying to see United 0-2 up at half-time with less of the possession. At a higher level obviously, it’s a concern that City are playing just like we might expect Saints to play…slow build up with little penetration into the oppo defence and getting done on the break. I hope Russ makes sure we take charge and provide their defenders much to think about.

I’d not be adverse to meeting any of you…even Turkish 😉….but I’ll be in a local restaurant/bar getting my fill, although I am driving so can’t over indulge.

Tickets turned up in the post today…phew! Now to start getting excited.

Don’t forget the jesters hats and face paint…always a good bet.

Also, be aware that there have been significant diversions on the M25 recently. I was in Ruislip last Friday evening and didn’t get home until 3am thanks to two M25 section night closures.

Let’s hope the result is a black & white decision in our favour! [ahem]